Fisherman hooks white shark from shore

“He released the animal, so that’s best practice,” Sandin said. “For a live animal that is accidentally caught and you don’t have a permit for, there’s an expectation that you release the animal.”

California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Andrew Hughan said white sharks are a candidate for being listed as an endangered species by the state. They’re entitled to the full protection of an endangered species during that deliberation process, he added.

“If you catch one accidentally, you need to as safely and quickly as you can release it to the water,” Hughan said. “Under the letter of the law, he shouldn’t have even pulled it out and taken pictures. But as long as the fish was returned to the sea, we’re not going to have an issue with it.”

Hughan cautioned that it’s not only illegal but also dangerous to handle a white shark. “Just because that shark’s out of the water doesn’t mean it won’t go after you if given an opportunity,” he said.

Fangman, a former combat engineer in the Marine Corps, said he’s an avid catch-and-release fisherman who has landed a variety of shark species in Florida.

“If it has fins and teeth, I’ve hooked it,” he said.

But he said shark fishing has evolved in recent years, and most fisherman value the sport more than trophies.

“Back in the day, it used to be popular to catch a shark and hang it up for the whole world to see,” Fangman said. “Now we catch and release sharks.”